Corliss Landscape & Irrigation is the Ipswich company North Shore homeowners call when a yard has to be designed and built rather than just maintained — plantings and stonework, paver patios, lawns, smart irrigation and landscape lighting.
The 2026 write-ups are about construction. A July 2026 reviewer who had already used the company for planting projects had them pull out an old hot tub hut and paver patio, regrade the area and lay a new patio, on time and on budget. A May 2026 reviewer named their project manager, Brett, and said the crew stayed attentive and put communication first; two days earlier another thanked Brett, Walter, Shawn and Joshua and said the pride they took in the work showed. Further back, a 2025 reviewer listed mulch delivery, tree planting, landscaping and stonework and said Corliss is the only North Shore company they will have back, and a 2022 reviewer described picking out a Japanese maple with Ryan that was still thriving four years later.
The complaints sit on the service side. Google averages 3.9 stars from 11 ratings, and three of the nine written reviews are one star. A June 2025 customer said everyone was pleasant on the phone but scheduling and service levels were not acceptable, after a 2025 start-up visit reported everything operating normally except one valve box. A June 2023 reviewer reported half their sprinkler heads broken after a guaranteed turn-on and turn-off, an assurance the problem would be fixed, and then no follow-through, and called the treatment disrespectful to members of the military. A 2021 reviewer canceled a scheduled visit after a phone call they described as rude. On the other side of that, a Newburyport neighbor wrote on Nextdoor in November 2025 that Corliss installed their system and services it.
The outfit is long-established and bigger than it looks from a driveway: BBB lists it as established in 1976 with an A+ grade, not accredited, under T.L.S., Inc. with Ronald C. Swanson as president, while its Procore profile is a commercial design-build one — 10 to 50 employees, 33 projects since April 2022, contracts averaging $100,000 and up. Houzz puts a typical job anywhere from $1,000 to $100,000. The company says it is certified in irrigation design, installation and maintenance and in lighting design, and lists Irrigation Association membership.
For a designed landscape or hardscape project with a named project manager on it, this is a solid call. If you are hiring them for seasonal irrigation, pin down in writing who handles callbacks, how fast a broken head gets replaced, and what the start-up and shutdown visits cover.
